Sphere of Influence
by JayVitolo
Summary: A new game begins with human beings as chess pieces. Character death(s)
1. Exodus

Sphere of Influence: Exodus by JayVitolo  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except the "Word of Blake" members. I don't even own the rights to that term "Word of Blake," that belongs to the guys that used to be FASA.  
  
Author Notes: Thank you for the positive feedback to Omega Web, it feels great to see that your work is appreciated by so many people. I just hope "Sphere of Influence" can give you all a somewhat decent ending to the Pretender realm. Even though I doubt I'll ever finish writing Pretender stories.the characters allow you to do so much. If you don't like fics involving the Jarod/Miss Parker love story (freak) then don't continue.  
  
Enough babbling.on to the story!  
  
(Just kidding about the "freak" reference, please don't yell at me.)  
  
---***---  
  
A dark room lit by scattered candles, two sitting on a wooden table and one on a small desk by a bookcase. Three coins can be heard striking the table; the hollow ping of the coins is followed by a quick shuffling noise. This exchange continues five more times, but stops as a shadowy figures stands from a chair. This unknown man walks across the room and slowly comes to the barely lit bookcase. A book is pulled out and quietly opened as the man walks back to the table. He sits down and slowly, and cautiously reads a passage. He can be heard mumbling the words on the page.  
  
Another man walks into the room, disturbing the one who is studying. "Viktor, your presence is required."  
  
The man identified as Viktor slowly exhales but doesn't remove his eyes from the book. He quietly closes it as he looks up. "Take a message. I'm busy." His eyes slowly move back to the written pages of his book.  
  
"It's important Viktor."  
  
Viktor sighs again before closing the book and setting it on the large table. "Alright Wilhelm. Who is it?"  
  
"The Triumvirate."  
  
Viktor picks his book back up and rereads the passage he just finished. "Tell them I'll be right there." The grin on his face is barely visible due to the book covering his face. "I'm sure they don't mind waiting another three minutes."  
  
Wilhelm steps forward and uses his cane to push the book away from Viktor's face. "You know, I never understood why you found that coin crap so fascinating."  
  
Viktor gets to his feet, but does not drop the book from his hands. "How many times must I tell you Wilhelm? It's called 'I Ching' and it answers any questions you ask it." The book closes around Viktor's left hand as his right hand grabs Wilhelm's shirt collar. "And if you don't mind your place, the coins may not hold you in favor."  
  
Wilhelm slowly backs away as Viktor releases his shirt collar. "Regardless of what three coins may tell you about the future, the Triumvirate liaison grows impatient in the present."  
  
Viktor closes the book and carefully places it on the table in between the two candles. He picks the coins up and places then in his pocket before leaving the room. Wilhelm follows him out as he pushes the book off the table; the rush of air blows the left candle flame out.  
  
---***---  
  
Jarod and Marie Parker are quietly sitting in front of a fireplace at Marie's house; a lit Christmas tree is visible over their shoulders. Marie rests her head on Jarod's shoulder as she lets out a quiet sigh, a sign that she is about to fall asleep. They are both startled by the sudden ringing cellphone in her pocket.  
  
She quickly pulls it out and opens it. "What?"  
  
"Miss Parker?"  
  
"Broots? What are you calling me for?"  
  
The technician quickly clears his throat before answering Parker's question. "Well, um, ah. I was looking through hospital admittance sheets today."  
  
"Wait, what?" Marie looks at Jarod beside her and brushes her hair back. "It's your Christmas vacation Broots."  
  
On the other end of the phone, the technician blushes. He grins as he continues. "I know. But you know how much I just love doing work."  
  
"Yeah. So, what's the reason you called?"  
  
"Right. Well, you know how your fa."  
  
Marie quickly interrupts him before he digs a deep hole. "You mean Mr. Parker, Broots."  
  
"Um, yeah. That's him." He clears his throat before trying again. "Well, you know how his body was never found."  
  
"Yeah, and?"  
  
"Well, it just ah." He closes his eyes, already imagining the amount of Tylenol he'll have to take after this phone call. "His body was just admitted to the St. Catherine's Hospital."  
  
Marie has a shocked expression on her face, as Jarod grows visibly concerned. She looks away from Jarod before continuing the conversation. "When was this?"  
  
"Roughly 1:36 am. This morning."  
  
She looks at her watch. "And you just NOW call me?"  
  
"I just got the information fifteen minutes ago."  
  
"Anything else you're keeping from me Broots?"  
  
"Yeah." Broots pulls the phone away from his ear before continuing. "He's still alive."  
  
Marie drops her phone as she looks at Jarod. She tries to speak, but no words are able to escape her lips. All she can do is keep trying, the words eventually work their way out. "Jarod, they found Mr. Parker." She quickly hooks her arms around him as she begins to cry. Jarod silently pulls her close.  
  
---***---  
  
Metal doors swing open as Viktor strides into the room. A round table rests in the middle of this room and a portrait sits behind a large chair. Viktor makes his way to this chair and takes a seat as Wilhelm stands beside him. A second man walks into the room but stands in the doorway, waiting to be acknowledged. Viktor glances at other man and motions for this him to take a seat directly in front of him.  
  
"How can the 'Word of Blake' help you?" Viktor folds his hands on the table before leaning forward.  
  
The other man laughs at this statement before responding. "I believe you mean 'how will the Word of Blake' help us?"  
  
A smile crosses Viktor's lips as he ponders the phrase. The smile disappears as he stands from the chair. "I assure you, I meant what I said." Viktor walks towards the other man with his hands folded behind his back. "Now, explain yourself."  
  
"Do you have the faintest clue of who I am?" The unknown man leans back in his chair and crosses his arms as Viktor stops next to him.  
  
Viktor leans close to the man's head and inhales deeply before responding. "You have no idea the things I know about you." Viktor then walks behind the chair and leans against the back of it. "I know your history, your family, your accounts. Even the woman you lusted after in the third grade." Viktor walks to the other side of the chair as its occupant starts to look worried. "You see, I know all about you Mr. Lyle; even the nasty incident that cost you your thumb. And the one that cost you the vision of your right eye."  
  
Viktor grabs the back of the chair and spins it around so he is looking Lyle in the face. "Now tell me what the Triumvirate wants."  
  
Lyle stares at Viktor; his face is twisted with anger. "I am here to make sure you don't screw up. The Centre is very valuable to the right people, and those people are your employers. They want you to get it, and that damn pretender, back at any cost." Lyle gets to his feet and adjusts the red glove covering his left hand. "I want to know if you have a plan yet."  
  
Viktor smiles at the anger in Lyle's voice. "No wonder they chose your eye instead of your tongue." Viktor turns to the table, picking up a remote and presses a button in the center as Lyle returns his smile. A large screen rolls down from the ceiling as a video starts to play. Lyle turns his attention to it as Viktor starts to speak. "We have received word that one Mr. Johan Parker was admitted to a Holy Mercy Hospital."  
  
"So you found my dad. What's this have to do with Jarod and the Centre?" Lyle crosses his arms and taps his foot impatiently.  
  
"So the pretender has a name? That could make things a lot easier." Viktor sighs under his breath before continuing. "The relevance is simple. Miss Marie Parker will have heard of this news by now and be on route to see him."  
  
"And? Could you get to the point?"  
  
"Patience is a virtue waste on the elderly." Viktor sighs as he stares at the screen.  
  
"Carry on." Lyle runs his tongue over his teeth as the video continues to play.  
  
"We have agents there kidnapping him as we speak. By the time Miss Parker gets there, he will be in our custody." Viktor shuts the video off as the screen retracts into the ceiling.  
  
Lyle turns to Viktor as the screen becomes hidden. "How can you be so certain?"  
  
Viktor smiles at him as he sets the remote on the table. He then turns and walks towards the doors of the room, pulling them open. "The coins tell me so."  
  
Lyle watches him leave, but poses one last question before the doors completely close. "Coins? What coins?"  
  
---***---  
  
Mr. Parker is resting peacefully in his hospital bed, happy to be back with population. His story of how he got back to land, and eventually back to the United States, has been told to every nurse and doctor of this place; nearly five times over. No matter how many times he says it, he never gets tired of listening to it. He hears the door open, but he can't stop staring out the window of his room. The snow makes everything so peaceful this time of year. He begins to wonder about the last time he shared one of these evenings with his daughter. Come to think of it, he can't remember the last time he actually spent more than two hours with her. He has to do that next time they meet.  
  
A man in a dark coat walks beside Mr. Parker's bed and stops, staring at the older man before him. Mr. Parker begins to recite his voyage from the ocean to the shores of America from heart, as if he's been practicing it all day. Mr. Parker gets to the part where he was picked up by a fishing boat and turns his head to look at the room's other occupant. He immediately stops the story when he notices the gun pointed at him.  
  
"What the hell?" Mr. Parker growls at the man holding the handgun at his head.  
  
The man doesn't respond, he only pulls the top of the gun backwards to chamber a shot.  
  
"Do you have any idea who you're messing with?" Mr. Parker remains defiant.  
  
The unknown person continues to look at Mr. Parker from behind his tinted sunglasses. His hand tightens around the handle of the gun.  
  
"You don't have the guts." Mr. Parker stares through the man's sunglasses and locks onto his eyes.  
  
A smile crosses the other man's face as he pulls the trigger. A dart flies out of the barrel and imbeds itself into the side of Mr. Parker's neck. The shock, combined with the tranquilizer, is enough to render him unconscious. The other man begins to remove his coat and sunglasses to reveal he is wearing a sanitation uniform. He unplugs Mr. Parker from the various machines and places him in a laundry hamper. The hamper is wheeled from the room and down the hallway; it is then pushed through an emergency door. The hamper and its contents are then placed in the back of a utility van before it slowly drives out of the hospital's parking garage.  
  
---***---  
  
Marie quickly swerves to her right to avoid a van taking up both lanes of traffic. She curses under her breath as she slams her hands onto the horn. The car quickly straightens as she screeches to a halt in the first parking spot she sees. Her car door quickly flies open as she sprints to the garage doors, looking for the receptionist. She begins to show off a picture of Mr. Parker as she reaches the desk, asking if they know where he could be. The woman behind the counter motions to a room on her left as Marie quickly thanks her. Marie pulls the room's door open, but sees there is nobody there. With a puzzled look, she looks on the outside of the door and grabs the medical chart sitting there. She grabs it, but stops as she notices a note sitting on the bed.  
  
Marie walks over to the bed with the chart in her hands, leaning forward to reach the note. She picks it up with her free hand and carefully reads it over. After ripping the note in half, she reaches for her cellphone and dials Jarod's phone number.  
  
"Hello?" The pretender quickly answers.  
  
"Jarod? Something bad happened." Panic is evident in Marie's voice as she tries to remain calm.  
  
"What? What happened?" Jarod pulls the phone closer to his ear, confused at what could've gone wrong.  
  
"My father." Marie turns to look out the window at the snow covering the ground.  
  
"Marie, what about your dad?"  
  
"Somebody kidnapped him." Tears begin to form in Marie's eyes as she starts thinking about where her father could be. He just came back in her life, and now he's been kidnapped. What sick bastard would do something like this?  
  
---***---  
  
Mr. Parker slowly begins to wake up as a darkened room invades his sight. For some reason, the room seems to be spinning; he just wants it to stop long enough for him to get off. A spot light, positioned above the chair he is strapped to, flashes to life. The sudden light reveals two feet of the room from where the chair is placed, not really improving Mr. Parker's sense of where he is.  
  
A voice suddenly calls to him. "Hello Johan."  
  
"What? Who's there?" Mr. Parker strains to see who is speaking to him.  
  
"You don't remember me?" The man responds in a taunting voice. "You should."  
  
"Show yourself." Mr. Parker squints his eyes, trying to make out shadows of people.  
  
"Fine then." The man steps forward, revealing himself. "How about now?"  
  
Mr. Parker looks over the man before him, going from head to toe. "Nope, sorry. Completely unfamiliar."  
  
A second man steps from the shadows, flexing his leather glove. "How about me?"  
  
The second man startles Mr. Parker; he thought there was only one of them. The initial shock wares off as he begins to recognize the face. "Lyle. What happened to your face?"  
  
"The triumvirate was less than happy on my last attempt to capture Jarod." Lyle smiles as he runs his hand over the scar on his right cheek.  
  
Its an improvement." Mr. Parker smiles as he trails off.  
  
Viktor smiles, letting out a sigh as Lyle begins to get angry. He begins to speak, trying to calm the both of them down. "We are veering off track." He turns to wink at Lyle but spins back to Mr. Parker, striking him across the face. "You have no privilege to speak."  
  
Mr. Parker grunts as he shakes his head, allowing Viktor to continue. "Now, Johan. You should remember me for a rather obvious reason."  
  
"And that would be?" Mr. Parker spits some blood on the floor after finishing talking.  
  
"I was the one that put the scrolls in the Centre. I helped you found that place." Viktor kneels before Mr. Parker, looking him in the eyes. "And you exiled me."  
  
Mr. Parker sighs before responding. "The proper term is 'fired'. I fired you, and you're lucky I didn't have you killed."  
  
Viktor grins and nods before looking into Mr. Parker's face again. "You know what the funny thing is? I've been watching your Centre fail repeatedly. You never can catch that Jarod fellow." Viktor straightens again before walking behind Mr. Parker's chair. "And so has the Triumvirate, but you knew that. You think the two you met before were bad, the new Triumvirate regime is ruthless. They don't accept failure, and you've been deemed expendable." He stops in front of Mr. Parker and looks down at him. "You are glorified bait, and your purpose is to reeling in Jarod and little Miss Parker. After that, you are killed."  
  
Upon hearing those words, Mr. Parker's head falls forward. Viktor smiles at this sight as he and Lyle turn to leave. Lyle looks at the man next to him before speaking. "That was good. A little vague on the terms, but good none-the-less."  
  
Viktor smiles as he turns to look back at Mr. Parker. "This is only the beginning of step one."  
  
"Really? What's the rest?" Lyle adjusts his glove as he looks at the former head of The Centre.  
  
"Jarod's family and Ben Miller. And then he and Miss Marie Parker will be like putty in our hands." An evil grin washes over Viktor's face as Lyle begins to smile.  
  
"That's good. I like that." Lyle pushes his hands into the pockets of his pants as the doors quietly shut, separating them from the room's only occupant.  
  
Mr. Parker stares at the floor of his 'cell', cursing himself for coming back. A teardrop hits the floor as he sighs, he quietly thinks about his past. "Forgive me angel. I never meant for this to happen."  
  
---***---  
  
TBC. Read and Rate.please. 


	2. Fatal Desire

Sphere of Influence: Fatal Desire --**-- by JayVitolo  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights. I'm just writing for fun.  
  
Author Notes: Ok, I never meant for Viktor to be the "star" of this series. He was supposed to be a balancing point for the rest of his "merry men" to form around. But authors can't argue when characters take a life of their own. My problem now is to keep him in check and hope Lyle returns to the "evil throne". One can never tell with these things . . .  
  
Second Note: This one took FOREVER . . . sorry for the wait. I wanted this done by the time I started college again . . . that didn't happen, incase you couldn't tell. I'm just glad I FINALLY got this thing finished. I am not making promises of when chapter three will be done; just expect it when it is posted. Anyway . . . enjoy!  
  
---***---  
  
Ben Miller casually walks through his Bed and Breakfast in Maine, remembering all of the good times he used to have. Ever since Catherine Parker stopped coming by, his days seem to be getting longer and more tedious. He looks at a picture of her hanging on the wall and remembers how much love he had for that woman. Those same feelings came back to him when he first met her daughter, Miss Parker. When she showed up, his life seemed to have meaning again; he wanted to speak to her as if she was Catherine. Unfortunately, the words never made it to the surface.  
  
He carefully pulls the picture off the wall and notes the square of healthy wood it hid. With a heavy sigh, Ben walks back to the main "living room" of his small house slash business and sits in a plush red lounge chair. A smile creeps across his ancient face as he runs his palm over the picture's glass, trying to feel Catherine's features one last time. The old man is startled by the sudden ringing of the service bell on his desk. Looking across his chest, he can see a man in a dark over coat wearing an old fedora.  
  
"Can I help you sir?" Ben slowly walks to the counter, making his way behind it. He sets the picture on the countertop once he gets behind it.  
  
The man removes a pair of sunglasses, but refuses to look at Ben's face. "My name is Wilhelm Fenmore. I would like a room please."  
  
Ben's face twists into a frown as he flips through his reservation book. "I'm sorry Mr. Fenmore. We don't have any rooms available."  
  
Wilhelm looks up to Ben with a grin on his face. He pulls his left hand from his coat pocket to reveal a dart gun. "Then I guess we have a problem."  
  
"Wha, what are you doing?" The sudden appearance of a gun startles Ben, causing the older man jumps backwards with his hands up.  
  
"You're going to come with me. Whether you want to or not." The grin doesn't leave Wilhelm's face as he pulls the trigger on the gun. The dart manages to imbed itself in Ben's neck, causing the older man to slump forward on the desk. As Ben falls, his right hand knocks the picture to the floor, causing a spider-web design to form in the glass. The eerie pattern begins directly over Catherine's face and spreads to the frame.  
  
With a heavy sigh, Wilhelm puts the gun back in his pocket before adjusting his coat. He reaches into his pants pockets to remove a pair of gloves and puts them on. Before walking around the desk to pick up Ben's unconscious body, he notices the broken picture. He carefully picks it up and looks at the woman. "Such a pretty face. Almost a shame to waste it on a man like this." He tosses the picture over his left shoulder before lifting Ben's body.  
  
---***---  
  
Miss Parker quietly struggles to keep herself awake, but half a bottle of Scotch can knock almost anybody out. Ever since her adopted father has been abducted, she's been a shell of her former self. The man just walked back into her life and now he's gone again. She never even got the chance to talk with him again. Even though her hands are shaking, most likely due to the mass amounts of alcohol pumping through her, she pours herself another drink. Through intense concentration, she brings the cup to her lips. She goes through all this effort only to drop it when the phone rings.  
  
Marie looks at the puddle of alcohol quietly resting on her hardwood floor before she fumbles for the phone. After securing her grasp of it, she answers. "What?"  
  
"Are you okay Miss P?"  
  
"I'm fine . . . Broots." She blinks her eyes rapidly, trying to keep the room from spinning out of control.  
  
"You don't sound fine. Do you want somebody over there?" Broots' voice shows a hint of concern.  
  
"Damn it Broots. I said I'm fine." Marie combs her hair back with a free hand and tightens her grip on the phone. "Now, what did you want?"  
  
"Oh, um. Somebody sent a video tape." The technician sighs, still not convinced that she is feeling good. "You sure you're okay?"  
  
"Stop it already. I'm fine. Never better. OKAY?" Marie manages to speak, even though she's having problems keeping things in focus. "Now what about this tape?"  
  
"Well, we haven't seen it yet. But it came from a town in New Jersey."  
  
"I'll be there as soon as possible."  
  
"What's that mean?"  
  
"I'll spell it out for you." Marie inhales deeply before continuing. "When I see the door, I'll be there. In other words, tomorrow morning."  
  
"Okay. I'll just, um, have this ready then."  
  
A heavy sigh escapes Marie's throat as she tries to continue. "You do that." It takes every ounce of strength she has left to turn the phone off; and then darkness takes her.  
  
---***---  
  
A black van pulls into a loading dock in a dark building. The driver jumps out of the front of the vehicle and walks around back while pulling his gloves off. He swings the rear doors open after pushing the latch upwards and grabs the body inside. As quickly as possible, he pulls the body over his shoulders and walks towards the building behind him. The door swings open before he reaches it, allowing him to see a familiar face.  
  
"Another successful mission, Wilhelm?" Viktor smiles at his cohort, noting the body he's carrying.  
  
"When are you going to start doing this yourself?" Wilhelm sets the body onto a metal cart before turning to look at his "boss".  
  
Viktor looks at the body before answering Wilhelm. "When I damn well please."  
  
"Yeah. Thanks what I thought. Don't want you to break a nail." Wilhelm grabs the cart's handles as he wheels it to the same place where Mr. Parker is begin held.  
  
"Did Mr. Miller give you any troubles?"  
  
"This guy? Look at him. He's so old."  
  
Viktor smiles as he opens the doors leading to the room containing Mr. Parker. "Always the egomaniac."  
  
"Where's Lyle?" The doors slowly close behind the men as Mr. Parker looks up.  
  
"Washing up." Viktor's eyes lock onto Mr. Parker's as a smile crosses his face. He just loves to see other people when they're tied up.  
  
"From what?" Wilhelm lifts the body of Ben Miller off the cart and places him in an empty chair. Ben's wrists are bound together behind the seat before Wilhelm steps back to stop beside Viktor.  
  
"Dinner." Viktor winks to Wilhelm before turning to the doors and walking away.  
  
"Dinner?" Wilhelm ponders this remark before he walks in the same direction Viktor just traveled.  
  
---***---  
  
Marie slowly opens her eyes as the sunlight greets her. She rolls over and looks at her alarm clock, noting it's now one o'clock in the afternoon. She quickly sits up; realizing she didn't fall asleep in her bedroom, she passed out in her living room. What the hell is going on? She throws the covers off her body and sees that she's still wearing the same clothes as last night. Still confused, she reaches under her pillow for the gun she stores there and checks the clip. It takes her a few seconds, but she finally gets to her feet and steadies herself. She head to the kitchen after hearing a noise, but all fear is quickly removed as she sees Jarod moving dishes around.  
  
Jarod quickly spins around at the sound of the creaking floor to see a gun pointed at him. "Ah, you're awake." The smile on his face causes Miss Parker to laugh.  
  
"When the hell did you get here?" Marie lowers the gun and walks towards him.  
  
"About 3 this morning. I called you about 2am, but you didn't answer. I panicked, so I got here as fast as possible." The pretender grabs her in a hug before he continues. "You didn't look too comfortable on the couch, so I moved you to the bed."  
  
"I was beginning to worry." After a quick kiss, Jarod lets her go before turning back to the counter behind him. Miss Parker brushes some hair from her face as she looks at her kitchen counter. "What are you making?"  
  
Jarod smiles as he looks back at the bowls. He quickly grabs the box sitting next to him and shows her. "It's called Rice Krispies."  
  
Marie laughs aloud as she takes the box from him. "You're eating Rice Krispies?!"  
  
"Yeah. They're neat. When you pour milk on them, they make this strange noise." Jarod looks confused as he tries to recall what the sound is like. "It's kind of like a popping noise."  
  
"You never cease to amaze me lab rat." Miss Parker winks at him as she sets the box back down. "So which bowl is mine?"  
  
"Neither." Jarod walks to the refrigerator and pulls out a gallon of milk.  
  
"Excuse me? Jarod, I'm hurt." Marie playfully punches Jarod in the shoulder as she looks like a child that didn't get her way.  
  
"I'm running an experiment. I want to see if two bowls make the same noise." Jarod doesn't even look at her while talking, but he continues to move the bowls around for the best environment.  
  
"Not with my milk you aren't." She walks around Jarod to prevent him from grabbing the milk off the opposite counter. The smile are Marie's face is borderline seductive, but the pretender is unfazed.  
  
A smile finally breaks the look of concentration on Jarod's face as he cups her chin in his hands. "I'm only kidding." He looks into her eyes before continuing. "Besides, I already did that experiment while you were sleeping."  
  
Jarod hands her a bowl as he walks to the table beside them. She looks at the cereal and back at Jarod. "Why does that not surprise me?" She takes her seat across from Jarod and looks at him. "Pass the milk."  
  
---***---  
  
"You wanted to see me boss?" Wilhelm walks though the doors of Viktor's office and stops in the middle of the room. The sounds of coins hitting a desk are the only response Wilhelm receives for nearly two minutes. Viktor finally turns to look at the other man in the room.  
  
He walks to where Wilhelm is standing before responding. "I have found a new disciple. Her name is Madeline and she will play an integral part in our mission."  
  
"Unless she plans on helping me capture family members, I don't see how she can be much help." Wilhelm's reply is both confident and arrogant, causing Viktor to smile.  
  
The smile fades as Viktor steps to his right, allowing Wilhelm to see the other side of the room. Madeline steps out of the shadows as Viktor begins to speak again. "No Wilhelm, she will not be carrying bodies. However, she will be playing an important role." Madeline steps into the light of the room to reveal her features. "You see, she looks exactly like Jarod's mother."  
  
Wilhelm smiles as he begins to figure out how this woman will benefit them. "I see. You plan on having her fool Jarod into a false sense of security."  
  
Viktor runs his hands through his hair before looking at Wilhelm. "No." He wraps his arm around Madeline and turns to face her before continuing. "I plan to have her isolate Jarod from his friends. It's the old 'divide and conquer' strategy that has work so well in the past."  
  
Madeline smiles, baring her teeth, before she talks. "With Jarod isolated, he will become easy prey." The grin fades as she lifts Viktor's phone off the hock and dials a number. As the phone rings, she looks from Viktor to Wilhelm and grins. "And it begins."  
  
Viktor cups Madeline's chin and kisses her before turning back to Wilhelm. "And mother knows best."  
  
---***---  
  
As Jarod is busy cleaning the bowls from the breakfast he shared with Marie, his cellphone starts to ring. He drops the towel beside the sink before reaching into the pocket of his pants to retrieve the phone. He quickly answers it, not expecting the voice on the other end.  
  
"Hello?" Jarod's curiosity is evident. Maybe Sydney found something Jarod would need to know. No such luck.  
  
"Oh my god, you're still alive!" The emotion in the other person's voice is apparent and Jarod can't believe who's talking to him.  
  
"M, m, mom?" Jarod can't believe it, he finally found his mother.  
  
"It is you. Jarod, I missed you." It sounds like she's crying now; tears start to form in Jarod's eyes.  
  
Jarod has trouble getting to a seat on the other side of the kitchen; the shock of talking to his mother for the first time in years is too overwhelming. He finally manages to sit down as Marie walks back into the kitchen. Without even looking at her, he continues speaking with his mother.  
  
"I thought I'd never get a chance to talk with you again." Jarod holds the phone close to his ear as the tears start to fall down his cheek. "I love you."  
  
"I love you to Jarod. I want to see you again." She sighs into the phone as she sounds like she's crying.  
  
"Where and when?" Jarod looks up to Marie, who is standing in front of him with a confused look on her face.  
  
"Tomorrow at 8 pm. Meet me at the Holiday in on Main Street in Baltimore, Maryland. I love you Jarod." She turns the phone off before Jarod has a chance to respond.  
  
"Mom? Mom!" Jarod's eyes fall to the floor as the dial tone answers him. "I love you."  
  
Marie sits beside him and holds his head close to her. "It's okay Jarod. You're family is finally coming together." She kisses him on the forehead before pulling him close in a tight embrace. "And I'm always here for you."  
  
---***---  
  
Madeline hooks her arms around Viktor before kissing him on the cheek. "It's done. He's meeting me tomorrow and I will begin to pull him away from Miss Parker, Sydney, and Broots." A grin passes her face as she looks into Viktor's eyes. "Jarod has no idea I'm posing as his mother. He's putty in our hands."  
  
Viktor laughs as he looks at Wilhelm. "Looks like this plan will not fail. We may not need Mr. Parker and Mr. Miller after all." He winks at Madeline before continuing. "I guess we just have to kill them. Sorry for wasting your time Wilhelm."  
  
Wilhelm grins as he pulls a handgun out of his pocket. "Not a problem."  
  
---***---  
  
"My god." A figure stands in front of the door with a worried expression on his face. He pulls out his phone and dials a number he never had before. The phone continues to ring until the voice mail answers. He sighs before the beep and clears his throat before leaving the message.  
  
"Hi sis. Long time no see. Listen closely. We NEED to talk, it a matter of life and death. Call me back soon." He closes his phone before turning back to the door to see Wilhelm staring at him.  
  
Wilhelm has a curious expression on his face but doesn't stop looking at Lyle. "Mister Lyle. It's so nice to see you again." He stands face to face with Lyle and stares deeply into his eyes before continuing. "I hope you and your sister are still getting along. I trust you'll keep us informed." He pats Lyle on the side of the head before walking away.  
  
---***---  
  
TBC. Please read and rate. 


	3. Homecoming

Sphere of Influence: Homecoming --**-- by JayVitolo  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights. I'm just writing for fun.  
  
Author Notes: This story started on schedule and then all of my classes wanted me to write things . . . so I never picked this back up. Once I decided to continue working on this chapter, my main problem was finding the Chinese that Lyle speaks . . . took me about a month to find Chinese words, every search brought about Chinese characters. But this is where it gets interesting . . . my computer decided it was time to fry the THIRD hard drive, causing me to lose ALL of my documents. This includes the Fanfics from Ouroboros Chronicles to Sphere of Influence. Hell . . . even my backup decided to not work.  
  
But now it's done . . . so you can end my bitching and moaning here.  
  
---***---  
  
Marie Parker walks out of her bedroom to the sound of her cell phone beeping, indicating she has a message waiting for her. Without a second thought, she opens it and dials the number to reach her voice mail. Once she hears the voice, however, she wishes she never played the message.  
  
"Hi sis. Long time no see. Listen closely. We NEED to talk, it a matter of life and death. Call me back soon." Lyle's voice carries his usual smug attitude, but somehow Marie detects the urgency. She quickly presses the disconnect button and dials Sydney's number, hoping he knows what's going on.  
  
"Sydney . . . "When he answers the phone, Sydney sounds like he just woke up.  
  
"Syd, I just received a phone call from somebody we thought was dead." Parker instinctively looks around her living room, usually when somebody turns up alive they come after her.  
  
"Who?" The curiosity in Sydney's voice doesn't try to be hidden.  
  
"Lyle." Miss Parker pulls the phone close to her mouth and utters his name with a growl.  
  
"That would explain my email message." The psychiatrist exhales slowly.  
  
"What message?" Now it's Marie's turn to be curious.  
  
"Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated. So, what does your brother want?"  
  
"He wants to talk." A soft sigh escapes Marie's lips as she continues. "Which, given Lyle's personality, could mean a variety of things."  
  
Sydney chuckles before continuing. "Are you going to meet with him?"  
  
"I have no choice."  
  
"Then be careful Parker."  
  
"Always Syd." Marie grins as she closes the phone. She quickly turns to a mirror and adjusts her suit coat. "Alright Lyle, what are you up to now?"  
  
---***---  
  
Lyle looks behind him to see if he is being followed or watched. Once he realizes he is alone, he pulls his phone from a pocket again. He flips it open and begins to dial a number before looking up to see Viktor staring at him.  
  
"Ah, Mister Lyle. Might I inquire as to what you are doing?" Viktor's voice carries an air of confidence as he stares into Lyle's eyes.  
  
Lyle smiles as he straightens. "I'm just ordering Chinese."  
  
A faint grin passes over Viktor's face. "Why don't you use the phone in my office?"  
  
The response catches Lyle off guard, but he quickly composes himself. "I pay for 200 minutes on my phone . . . so I might as well use them. No offense to you in anyway."  
  
"None taken. Just order me an Egg Roll." Viktor walks past Lyle before stopping in the shadows behind him.  
  
Lyle finishes dialing the number and holds the phone to his ear. Once a voice on the other end answers, Lyle looks around again.  
  
To be safe he opts to speak a different language, he figures Chinese is the best bet since he told Viktor he was ordering Chinese food. "Zán xÅ«yào liáotiÄn." (We need to talk.)  
  
The voice on the other end acknowledges him as he continues. "DÄng dàng." (Face to face.)  
  
Lyle nods slowly as he finishes. "Zàijiàn." (Good-bye.) Lyle then closes the phone before adjusting his suit coat and walking through a door.  
  
Viktor steps out of the shadows with a mug expression on his face. He turns to his right and opens the door to meet with Wilhelm. The two come face to face as Wilhelm lowers an earpiece.  
  
"I couldn't figure out what he was saying. He spoke a language I have not studied." Wilhelm looked Viktor in the eyes, hoping that Viktor would not kill him.  
  
"You are of no use to me are you? The language was Chinese." Viktor smiled as he looked past Wilhelm to the dark walls. "Evidently Mr. Lyle is unaware that I am fluent in that tongue."  
  
"So what did he say?"  
  
Viktor smiles as he runs a hand over his chin. "He's meeting with someone. I don't know who and I don't know where, but I want him followed. Get some of the 'seekers' to tail him."  
  
"As Blake commands, it will be done." Wilhelm bows his head before turning to leave the room.  
  
Viktor watches Wilhelm close the door before voice his thoughts. "What are you up to Lyle?"  
  
---***---  
  
Lyle closes a door behind him and looks around the parking lot. He cautiously walks to his car and drops to his knees to look underneath it. Ever since he came back from Africa, Lyle has become more cautious about his surroundings. Always making sure he is alone, always making sure there are no eyes watching. Satisfied, he gets into his car and turns the key. Oddly enough, his cell phone rings as soon as he leaves the parking lot.  
  
Lyle carefully reaches into his suit coat to remove his phone. "Lyle speaking."  
  
The voice that responds is full of venom and definitely not in the mood for games. "What do you want?"  
  
A grin finds its way onto Lyle's lips as he changes lanes. "Hi sis."  
  
"Cut the crap Lyle. What do you want?"  
  
Lyle doesn't even try to avoid the laugh building in him. He collects himself before continuing. "Always one for the point. I just wanted to talk."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Don't you ever get tired of asking questions and never finding answers, sis?"  
  
Anger builds in Marie's voice as she responds. "What do you want to talk about?"  
  
"Patience Parker." Lyle grins as he detects the anger building in Marie. "About old times. About family matters. About Jarod." Lyle sighs into the phone after mentioning his name; unfinished business is often the best business.  
  
"What about Jarod?"  
  
"How he's walking into a trap and seems to be completely oblivious about it." Lyle turns onto a side road as he continues. "Family love can be so blinding."  
  
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Listen Parker, I'm about to meet an old friend. How's about you and I get together and discuss this?" Lyle parks his car in a parking lot outside a shopping mall. He turns the ignition off as he shifts the phone to a different ear.  
  
"Fine. Where?" Marie is starting to become impatient. Why can't Lyle just die like a normal human?  
  
"Parkway Shopping Center in Gilmor Field, Maryland." The dial tone greets his ear as Marie hangs up. Without flinching, Lyle dials a second number. As soon as the voice answers, Lyle speaks. "I'm here. Where are you?"  
  
---***---  
  
Marie looks out the window of her house and notices the rain clouds forming. Unconsciously, she looks at a picture of her and her mom. The smile on Catherine's lips is both warming and warning as Marie lifts the picture from her fireplace.  
  
"What are you trying to tell me, mom?"  
  
For a second, Marie could swear the smile on her mother's face disappeared. Quickly dismissing the thought as part of a headache, she places the photo where it came from. Turning her back to the picture, she pulls out her phone as she heads to the door. She quickly dials Jarod's number as she pulls the door shut.  
  
---***---  
  
Jarod is busy pulling on a shirt when his phone rings. The phone could have had a megaphone attached to it and he still wouldn't have heard the ringing. His mind was elsewhere. It kept pondering the same questions over and over again. What does he say to his mom? Will she still look like he pictures her? Is she with Emily and Dad? He looks into the room's mirror and straightens his jacket. After running his hands through his hair, he notices the light on his phone flashing.  
  
Only then does he answer it. "Hello?" Jarod's voice is more enthusiastic than usual. Probably due to the fact he will finally be able to talk with his mom. No more running, no more evading. Just them . . . and them alone.  
  
"Jarod! I thought you wouldn't answer." Marie's voice causes a smile to cross Jarod's face. It took him awhile, but she finally admitted her feelings. "Jarod, I need you to do something for me." Her voice trails off.  
  
"What? I'm in a hurry Marie. I want to get to the Holiday Inn before I meet with my mom." A smile crosses his lips; old habits die hard, or so he's told. "It's hard for me to get over the feeling of being chased."  
  
Marie sighs before she responds. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Lyle called me, he wants to meet."  
  
"You think you can trust that psycho?" Jarod remembers when he was caught after holding Mr. Parker hostage. Lyle doesn't seem to be somebody you can trust. He always has a secret agenda, a way to look out for number one.  
  
"I'm not too sure." She exhales slowly before attempting to voce her thoughts. "Jarod, I need you to not see your mom until I meet with Lyle."  
  
The words sting Jarod. What is Marie doing? "What? I finally have her come back into my life and now you want to prevent me from seeing her? Why?"  
  
"It's for your safety Jarod." Marie is rubbing her temples as she speaks.  
  
"No. You've been doing this ever since I ran away from the Centre. For years you prevented me from seeing her. Now you want to start the games again." Anger begins to fill Jarod's voice as he begins to pace around the room. "She has come back into my life and she wants to see me. I will NOT disappoint her."  
  
Marie is shocked by the anger Jarod shows, she covers her face before she responds. "Please, please don't do anything until I call back. Just give me one hour." She looks at her watch as she continues. "By my calculations that will give you enough time to scout the Inn."  
  
A sigh of anger escapes Jarod's throat as he responds. "Fine. Do what you want to Parker. But you have a hour." He closes his phone as he turns to the mirror. "She's back in my life Parker. I cannot wait this time."  
  
Jarod grabs his coat and quickly leaves the small motel room and heads to his car. As he begins to leave the motel, all he can think about is what he would say to his mom.  
  
---***---  
  
"What do you mean you lost Lyle?" Viktor is pacing around his desk. Good help is so hard to keep alive. He stops behind his desk and stares at the doorway. "You better damn well find him. The coins are not in your favor right now."  
  
Viktor slams the phone back into its cradle before sitting in his chair. He runs his hands through his hair before looking up to see Wilhelm.  
  
"Is something wrong sir?" A look of puzzlement is displayed on Wilhelm's face.  
  
"Only the incompetence of a few." Viktor's hands cover his mouth as he focuses on a candle burning on his desk.  
  
"In that case, I have some news that may enlighten your mood."  
  
Viktor looks up to Wilhelm and waves his hand. "Continue."  
  
"I know where Lyle is. And more specifically what his is doing and whom he sees." A smug look passes over Wilhelm's face.  
  
Viktor leans back in his chair and smiles. "Explain."  
  
Wilhelm clears his throat before pulling out a black folder. "He is in Stratten Field, Delaware at the local shopping mall. He is consulting a man from his past, voice patterns indicate the man as somebody he brought into the Centre a few years back." Wilhelm slides the folder towards Viktor before placing his hands behind his back.  
  
Viktor picks up the blank folder as Wilhelm continues. "It is believed to be this man. During the political infighting the Centre went through years ago, he disappeared without a trace. Rumor has it he is the SOLE reason for Lyle's continued survival, even with a Yakuza contract on his head and the Triumvirate wanting him dead."  
  
Viktor flips open the folder and reads over the paper contained inside. For a couple of seconds, the only noise is the mumbling of the man's name. Viktor's voice is barely audible as he continues to read. He looks up to Wilhelm with a smile. "Find all you can on this Jackson Cox."  
  
"As you wish." Wilhelm turns on his heels and heads to the door. He looks back over his shoulder with a smile. "Hackers are a gift from God himself."  
  
Viktor barely acknowledges the remark with a wave of the hand. As the door shuts behind Wilhelm, Viktor spins his chair to face the wall. With the picture of the man in front of him, Viktor lets out a sigh of comfort. The man in the picture is wearing a three-piece suit and has his black hair slicked back. A smug grin is on his face.  
  
A soft chuckle escapes Viktor's mouth. "Mr. Jackson Cox. What secrets do you hide for me to find?"  
  
---***---  
  
Lyle pulls into a parking place outside the main building of the shopping center as he carefully looks around. A van slows to a stop in the distance and a man leaves the driver's side. The unknown man begins to walk towards Lyle; his hands are in his pockets. Instinctively, Lyle reaches for his gun but stop when he sees the three-piece suit and the slicked back black hair. He extends his hand as the other man graciously accepts it.  
  
Lyle breathes a sigh of relief as he faces the other man. "Thank you for coming Jackson."  
  
The Englishman smiles and nods his head. "It's but a honor of mine. About this urgent matter?"  
  
Lyle looks around the parking lot again and sees his sister pull up. He waves his hand in between Cox and himself to indicate a change of subject. Once Marie walks up to them, Lyle flashes a grin that causes her blood to freeze. "Morning Sis."  
  
Marie looks Lyle in the face and notices the cut on the right side of Lyle's face and the absent look in his right eye. "Jesus Lyle. What'd you do, cut yourself shaving?"  
  
Lyle smirks at the comment, waving it off like it never happened. "Sis, I'm sure you remember our esteemed colleague, Mr. Cox."  
  
Parker looks to her left with a look of disgust on her face. "Not you again."  
  
Cox steps forward with a smug expression on his face. "I assure you, Miss Parker, it is a honor to see you again."  
  
"Same crap, new day." Marie rubs her temples as she turns back to Lyle. "Now, what did you want to meet me about?"  
  
Lyle sighs before continuing. His gaze falls to the parking lot before he speaks. "Two things actually. One: these people I've been working with have kidnapped our father. And Ben."  
  
"I know that already. Cut to the chase." Marie crosses her arms over her chest as she starts to tap a heel.  
  
"They're planning to kill them." Lyle looks up to Marie's face and sees the look of shock. Marie turns to head back to her car, but Lyle grabs her arm to spin her back around. "There's more."  
  
"Like what?!?" The panic in Parker's voice is evident. Her real father and the man that raised her from childhood are about to die and Lyle wants to keep talking.  
  
"They set a trap for Jarod."  
  
"I know that already. You told me over the phone." Marie pulls her arm out of Lyle's grip as she starts to back peddle to her car.  
  
"Yes, but you don't know who's involved." He sees the panic etched into Marie's face as he continues. "You have to stop the meeting before it's too late."  
  
"Why?" Marie tries to sound like she isn't worried, but so far it's failing miserably.  
  
"Because the woman he's meeting isn't his mom. Her name is Madeline and she looks almost exactly like Margaret." Lyle might as well have stopped talking after saying the woman isn't Jarod's real mom. He watches as Parker jumps back into her car, a smile breaks onto his face.  
  
Lyle turns back to Cox, the smile still plastered on his lips. "Now about our business." He places his arms around Cox's shoulders as they begin to walk into the mall. "I've been away from the Centre for far too long. With my sister being currently occupied, our only resistance comes in the form of Broots and Sydney." The two disappear from view in the mall as Marie pulls out of the parking lot.  
  
---***---  
  
Miss Parker swerves down the road, keeping one eye on the traffic while the other helps her fish for the cell phone. She finally finds it and dials Jarod's number. She tries again after receiving no response only to suffer the same fate. She curses under her breath as she plugs a second number into her phone. She breathes a sigh of relief when a familiar voice answers.  
  
"Broots." The technician sounds like he just woke up.  
  
"Broots! Where are you?"  
  
Once he hears Marie's voice, he snaps awake. "Tech room. Why?"  
  
"Good. I need you to do a trace on a phone number."  
  
Marie hears the clicking of keys as Broots responds. "Give me a couple of seconds."  
  
"You have two."  
  
Broots sighs as he hits one final key. "There. Go ahead."  
  
"Area code 814, 3933036."  
  
"Got it. Hey, this is Jarod's number." A hit of joy hits Broots' voice as he looks over the recent calls list. "I hope you know this isn't the most legal thing I could be doing right now. It's more legal for me to snipe people from a bell . . ."  
  
Marie cuts off the tirade with one of her Ice Queen demands. "I don't care right now Broots. Just tell me where he is."  
  
"Tower." Broots mumbles the final word of his last thought and scrolls through the listing of recent calls. "According to this he's outside of Baltimore. Looks like Fredericksburg."  
  
"Good. I just entered Baltimore's city limits. Can you tell me where the Holiday Inn is located?"  
  
More clicking keys can be heard as Broots diligently types away. Parker can here him humming in the back ground, but the noise suddenly stops as he clicks two more keys. "Found it. 6251 South G Street. G as in Girl."  
  
"Thank you Broots." Marie closes her phone and tosses it on the passenger side as she takes a sharp turn. In a couple of minutes, she makes it to G Street and smiles as she sees a rather large 'Holiday Inn' sign elevated over the road. Parker screeches the car to a halt and quickly unbuckles her seatbelt, as the car's door swings open. She quickly pulls her gun out of the holster and screws a silencer into place before securing it under her suit coat. Marie opens the doors and looks around the large room, noticing a man sitting at a table with a red headed woman.  
  
"Jarod!" Marie quickly runs over to the man but stops when she realizes the guy is too young to be Jarod. She quickly turns her back before the couple can see her blush. As she turns around, Jarod walks through the main doors and finds his way to the reservation desk. After what looks to be a quick exchange, Jarod walks towards the back of the motel and sits facing the back doors. Marie decides to walk in his direction and try to talk him out of this meeting.  
  
Jarod looks up to See Marie walking towards him and stiffens in the seat. Without even glancing at her, he speaks. "What do you want?"  
  
The anger in Jarod's voice hurts her. It reminds her of when they were caught on Carthis, the way she treated him in the car. That's how Jarod is treating her now. "This is a trap Jarod. The woman you're meeting is not your mom."  
  
Jarod looks at her with a sad expression. "You're going to have to do more than that Parker. You people kept me from her my whole life and now when I finally get to meet her again, you want to stop it."  
  
Marie sinks to her knees when Jarod called her by her last name. They've been through so much together, why won't Jarod see the truth? Maybe Lyle was right. Maybe family love can be blinding. "I'm serious Jarod. I don't want you to get hurt."  
  
Jarod looks Marie in the eyes and notices the tears that are forming. "She finally came back into my life Parker. For once I'm going to have a full family." Jarod looks up to see a woman walk through the doors, a smile breaks out onto his face as he starts to stand. Marie sees his face light up and follows his eyes. Before she can say anything else, Jarod is on his feet and heading in her direction.  
  
Marie looks to the floor and notices a reflection of a man with what looks like a rifle. She looks up to Jarod and starts to yell at him, but everything seems to be happening in slow motion. Marie sees the woman reveal what seems to be a rag and go to place it over Jarod's mouth. Out of instincts, Marie pulls her gun out of the holster and fires at the other woman, causing her to drop the rag and fall to the ground. Parker rolls to her back and manages to shot the man in the balcony before he can do any damage.  
  
Time seems to restore itself as Marie looks to see Jarod looking at the woman on the ground. Tears cover his face as he looks at the woman in the puddle of blood. "Mom? Mom!" He looks up at Marie as the tears give way to rage. "You killed her."  
  
Marie slowly climbs to her feet, still holding the gun in her hands. "Jarod, she was setting a trap." She walks towards Jarod but is shocked to see him back peddling.  
  
"I don't want to hear anymore Parker. Stay away from me." Jarod keeps his eyes locked onto Marie as he backs through the door. "This is the last time you people kill my family."  
  
As Marie watches, the door slams shut separating her from Jarod and her hopes of ever making him understand. Her eyes look from her gun to the woman lying on the floor as she falls to her knees. She knows it isn't wise to sit here after just killing somebody, but her body doesn't want to move. She eventually summons the willpower to stand and head through the doors after Jarod, but the city is so big. Add to it that he KNOWS how to disappear and he could be sitting on a park bench watching her, Marie still wouldn't be able to find him. She sighs before looking around and tossing her gun in the trash. Maybe Sydney can help with Jarod, she doubts it though.  
  
---***---  
  
Lyle pulls his car back into the old parking garage of Viktor's hideout and slowly parks where he was before. He quickly exits the car after turning it off and quietly closes the door. Breathing a sigh of relief, he turns to walk through the garage and opens the door that leads into the building. As Lyle takes a turn down a hallway, Wilhelm steps in front of him. Lyle looks at the man and smiles.  
  
"Can I help you?" Lyle tries to sound as polite as possible, truth be told he is actually quite annoyed.  
  
"Viktor wants to address us." Wilhelm's tone matches his demeanor, he means business.  
  
"Lead the way." Lyle pushes his hands into his pockets as Wilhelm pivots on his heels.  
  
The two men walk down a hallway and stop as Wilhelm opens one of the large metal doors. He steps to the side allowing Lyle to enter first and then slowly pulls it closed. Viktor stands as Lyle walks to the desk with Wilhelm following closely.  
  
"Hello gentlemen." Viktor sighs as he leans on his desk. "I have some unfortunate news."  
  
Lyle straightens as Wilhelm relaxes his shoulders. The last time Lyle heard those words coming from somebody, it was bad news for him.  
  
"It seems Madeline has been killed." Viktor's eyes fall to the desktop as he continues. "But our plan has worked. One of our followers has reported that Jarod and Miss Parker are no longer on 'speaking' terms. Jarod pretty much vowed to kill her next time they meet."  
  
A grin passes over Lyle face; he realizes this meeting has nothing to do with him. The smile fades as Viktor looks at him.  
  
"Now for the second matter of business. Where have you been for the past hours Mr. Lyle?" Viktor falls back into his seat as Wilhelm reaches into his coat. "It seems your intentions are not the same as our own. You seem to be involved in 'extra-curricular activities' as of late."  
  
Lyle straightens as he feels Viktor's eyes gazing at him. "I don't know what you mean."  
  
"Oh really?" Viktor smiles as Wilhelm places the barrel of a handgun into the base of Lyle's neck. "Perhaps you'd like to explain your actions. You've been contacting an outsider. I want to know why." Lyle takes a deep breath as Viktor slides the picture of Mr. Cox towards him.  
  
Wilhelm smiles as he pulls the hammer back on the gun. "You might want to start talking. I don't know how long I can avoid pulling the trigger."  
  
---***---  
  
TBC . . . . . . . . . . . Read and Rate 


	4. Intervention

Sphere of Influence: Intervention ---- by JayVitolo  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights. This is just for entertainment.  
  
Author Notes: I plan on finishing this story soon; I'm on summer break from college. Good thing is I'm under less pressure next semester, I'm FINALLY off Academic Probation, and I should be able to write more stories. Bad News is I'm going to be working my summer job a lot so I don't know how much I'll be able to write now.  
  
Additional: All text in single quotations, ('), should be considered a person's thought. Everything in double quotations, ("), is speech.  
  
Anyways...this chapter is done and I hope you like it.  
  
------  
  
"You don't have much longer on this plane, Mister Lyle. I suggest you make the most of it now." A smug grin is plastered onto Viktor's face as he continues to speak. "I'll tell you what, you have ten seconds to start talking."  
  
"And if I choose to not exercise this generous offer?" Lyle tries to remain unshaken, but the sweat on his forehead betrays him.  
  
Viktor shrugs his shoulders as he responds. "Then, I'm afraid, Wilhelm will have to kill you." Lyle looks over his left shoulder and sees the smile on Wilhelm's face. Lyle's attention returns to Viktor as he finishes. "He's been aching to shoot something all day."  
  
Viktor begins his counting as Lyle takes a deep breath. Once Viktor reaches nine, Lyle stops him. "Alright. I'll talk."  
  
The smile on Viktor's face widens as Lyle can feel the gun being moved from his neck. The smile slowly fades from Viktor as he leans forward on his desk. "Proceed."  
  
Lyle opens his mouth to speak but stops before a word leaves. He looks behind him at Wilhelm and then slowly returns his gaze to Viktor. "Not until stumpy leaves."  
  
Viktor looks past Lyle and notices that Wilhelm stiffened at the comment. "I'm sure Wilhelm would love to hear what you have to say." Viktor's eyes return to Lyle. "Proceed."  
  
Lyle sighs deeply. "Fine. There's a building I know of in Blue Cove, Delaware that will give us all the power we need to get rid of Jarod. It's called The Centre and the only thing preventing us from taking it is my sister Marie Parker."  
  
------  
  
The door to Sydney's office opens as the psychiatrist walks into the room. Without a sound, he walks towards his desk and drops a bundle of folders near the middle before beginning to unbutton his suit coat. The chair is pulled out as Sydney silently sits and turns towards a coffee maker he recently invested in. Once the small machine begins to brew a cup of coffee, he turns his attention to the stack of folders he brought in with him. He opens the top one and begins to read over it as the phone starts ringing.  
  
With a sigh, he reaches to it and presses the speaker button. "Sydney."  
  
"Has Jarod called you?" The voice on the other end seems to be frantic.  
  
"No Marie. Jarod and I haven't spoken for a few weeks now." Sydney closes the folder and pulls the phone receiver from its cradle, effectively canceling the speaker mode. "Why do you ask?"  
  
Marie sighs as she continues. "I can't find him anywhere Syd."  
  
Sydney straightens in his chair before speaking again. "Like when we were hunting him?"  
  
"It's worse. Seems like he just vanished." Marie's voice gets more frantic as he continues. "At least when we hunted him, he would be doing pretends to help other people. Now it feels like he's just given up. No games of cat and mouse. Just poof, gone with the wind."  
  
A small beep signals to Sydney his coffee is done, causing him to turn towards the machine while still talking. "I'll have Broots check it out. Usually Jarod leaves a clue somewhere."  
  
"That's what I'm saying Syd. There's nothing. It's like he doesn't exist anymore." Marie's voice cracks as emotion starts to intrude.  
  
Sydney takes a sip of his coffee before responding. "Some would argue he never did exist. Think about it Parker; he doesn't have a last name, no Social Security number. He's not even registered to vote or for an Armed Forces Draft."  
  
For once, silence hits the conversation as Marie thinks about what Sydney said. "You're right. The only reason we, The Centre, knew he existed is because we raised him." Her voice lowers as she continues. "Just please try and find him. Call me if he contacts you."  
  
"What happened between you two? It's not like Jarod to not torment you in some way." Sydney places his now half empty cup of coffee on his desk as he pulls out a paper tablet.  
  
"I know." A small chuckle escapes her before she continues. "I wish I could say it feels good to sleep through the whole night, but I just miss his awkward humor. Just find what you can."  
  
Sydney sighs as he realizes Marie won't answer his question. "Will do Parker."  
  
"Thank you Syd." Marie is the first to break the conversation causing Sydney to stare blankly at the wall in front of him.  
  
"What happened Parker?" Sydney looks at the phone and slowly presses the power button on the receiver to turn it off. He presses the button again and begins to dial the number for the Tech room.  
  
"Tech room, this is Broots." The balding technician seems rather cheerful today.  
  
"You seem happy today." A smile crosses Syd's face. 'Why is it Broots always seems more cheerful than Parker?'  
  
"Oh, you wouldn't believe it Syd. I just threw this really awesome party for Debbie last night. Did I tell you she got on of the lead roles in her high school play? You should see how much fun she's having." Broots seems to be getting even happier as he speaks.  
  
"That's good to hear Broots. What play is it?" Sydney's voice shares the enthusiasm Broots is speaking with.  
  
"Guys and Dolls. She really likes it there. The first performance is on Friday." The joy in Broots' voice would be enough to make even Miss 'Ice Queen' Parker happy.  
  
"Give her my congratulations Broots."  
  
Broots laughs before he responds. "Will do Sydney." He quickly calms down as he puts the phone receiver between his head and right shoulder. "Now what can I do for you?"  
  
"I need you to try and track down Jarod." Sydney's voice loses all sense of humor and regains its seriousness.  
  
"That won't be easy. He doesn't have a"  
  
"Social Security number. Just try your hardest." Sydney cuts the technician off.  
  
Broots picks up his remark where it was cut off. "I was going to say Bank Account, but I wasn't aware of the Social Security problem." Silence breaks the talking as Broots thinks. "Why doesn't he have a Social Security number?"  
  
"Because when he was brought to The Centre, the Triumvirate had him pronounced dead. That way they could perform any test on him and if he died, it wouldn't matter. The Triumvirate would take his body to Africa and bury it so nobody would be any wiser." A deep sigh escapes Sydney as he recalls those dark plans. "That was a main reason Catherine tried to get all of the pretenders out. She couldn't stand what The Centre, or the Triumvirate, was doing."  
  
"That explains it." Keys can be heard clicking as Broots begins to work. "Bad news Syd, this is going to take me a while. I'll get back to you as soon as I find something."  
  
"Thank you Broots. Wish Debbie luck for me."  
  
"No problem Syd. You're welcome to come if you can."  
  
"I'll do that." Sydney hangs up his phone and returns to his cup of coffee. "Where are you Jarod?"  
  
------  
  
Water can be heard running in a bathroom as the door opens. Jarod walks out of the small room with a tower hanging around his neck and his hair still dripping wet. He walks towards a small refrigerator in the motel room he is renting and pulls out a can of Cherry Coke. He pops the can open and walks back into the bathroom before looking into the foggy mirror. After passing his hand over it, Jarod sees a set of eyes he is not accustomed to; ones that look empty. He hasn't shaven since Parker killed his mom and each day he feels more and more hollow inside.  
  
Jarod puts his hands on the sides of the sink basin and opens the faucet to run the water. He scoops a handful of the water from the running faucet and splashes it onto his face, but he still feels unclean. This was his fifth shower today and he still doesn't feel normal; it's like the flame inside of him has been extinguished. It took him a couple of days but he realized that he would never truly be free until he disappears. Until then everybody and everything will be watching him, waiting for him to slip up and catch him.  
  
He looks back at his reflection; the face still haunts him. "I can't allow the Centre to run my life anymore. As long as they know I'm still around, they won't leave me alone." Jarod looks back down at the running water and sighs. "They killed my mother, cost me my brother, and prevent me from living with my father and sister. Never again."  
  
Jarod leaves the bathroom and grabs a shirt that was lying on the second bed. He quickly pulls it over his head as he walks towards the door. "I have to stop them before others end up getting hurt."  
  
------  
  
Marie Parker is sitting in a park watching duck's float in a pond. Even though she is away from everything, her mind is still racing as she tries to figure out where Jarod could be. It isn't like him to vanish like this. She casually pulls her cell phone from its holder and begins to flip it open and closed. The phone begins to ring after the third time, causing her to panic.  
  
Parker quickly presses the phone's answer button and puts it to her ear. "Jarod?" The urgency in her voice betrays her emotions.  
  
A laugh is her answer. Once the other person regains their composure, she gets an actual response. "Not even close sister."  
  
Marie's face flashes red with anger as her grip on the phone tightens. "What do you want Lyle?" His name is dripping with venom, and she meant it.  
  
"Oh, a little touchy today aren't we?" Marie can tell Lyle's wearing a smug expression from his response. Before she has a chance to respond, Lyle continues. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. You are beautiful when you're angry."  
  
The more Lyle rolls with the punches, the more Marie's face turns red. At this rate, her ulcer is bound to act up. 'After this, I'm getting a drink. A BIG one.' Marie shakes her head to try and cool off; it doesn't work. "Keep going and you'll see how beautiful I can be."  
  
"How's Jarod doing these days?" Lyle smiles at her building anger. He can't wait to tell her the reason he called.  
  
She wants to scream. Scream and reach through the phone and strangle the smug jackass. "We aren't on speaking terms now."  
  
"Really?" Lyle's surprise catches her off guard. "I thought you too were as inseparable as Siamese Twins. Or Broots and his computer girlfriend."  
  
'Is he being sarcastic, or does he genuinely not know?' Shock tries to make its way onto her face, but only gets smothered by the anger already there. "Does this family chat have a purpose Lyle?"  
  
Lyle clears his throat before responding. "Oh yes. Two things actually."  
  
"REALLY. I'm just dying to know." The sarcasm in Marie's voice is still brimmed with anger, but it also has her razor wit along fro the ride.  
  
"Funny you should mention 'dying'. As we speak you adopted father and birth father are being shot."  
  
Marie springs to her feet, forcing the ducks to look in her direction. A rabbit quickly darts from the grass at her sudden movement. "What! This better not be a sick game Lyle."  
  
Rustling can be heard as Lyle looks over his shoulder to see Wilhelm carrying a limp body down a corridor. "No game. Mr. Parker was just killed. I can't stay on long, they don't know I'm talking with you."  
  
"Who? What?" The confusion in Marie's voice is evident as she tries to form a coherent thought.  
  
"Listen up. These two guys, Viktor and Wilhelm, are going to try and take The Centre building. They have a group with them called "Followers" and they are under strict orders to kill anybody in their way. There are about 25 of them." The words fly out of Lyle's mouth faster than he can think them.  
  
Miss Parker slowly sits back down at the influx of the information. "What can I do about it?"  
  
"Tell Sydney and Broots. Get them to find all of the old Sweepers and Cleaners possible, cause you'll need them." Lyle's voice is becoming more frantic as he can hear footsteps coming his way. "I need to go. I'll be in the group, just look for a white shirt with a red tie."  
  
"Wait, Lyle . . ." Before she is able to respond, Lyle turns his phone off. A deep sigh leaves Marie as she looks out to the pond. "First I lose Jarod and now there's a war on the Centre."  
  
------  
  
Lyle turns on his heels as he shut the phone. A smile passes over his face as he sees Viktor standing in front of him. "It's done. She'll bite; hook, line, and sinker."  
  
Viktor places his hands behind his back as he straightens. "For your sake, she better."  
  
As he goes to walk past, Lyle places his right hand on Viktor's right shoulder. "Calm down. Stress is not good for the body." Lyle grins as he catches a glance of Viktor.  
  
As Lyle starts to walk away, Viktor grabs his wrist. "Neither is making promises you can't keep." Lyle turns as Viktor continues. "You know the consequences if your promise fails. We lose the Centre, you lose the opportunity to breathe."  
  
Lyle stiffens as Viktor touches the scar on the right side of his face. Viktor begins to trace it as his voice becomes even more somber. "And I will not hesitate to exercise more extreme manners than the Triumvirate." A slight grin tugs at the corner of Viktor's mouth. "Now tell me again, where does this Mr. Cox fit in?"  
  
------  
  
A rather large framed woman places a menu in front of Jarod, causing the pretender to look at her with a smile. The woman's apron seems to be crusted with coffee stains and other food streaks, but her red hair is kept in place with a hair net. Judging from the aroma around her, she likes using perfume . . . lots of perfume.  
  
The woman rearranges her apron as she speaks. "You want anything, shugah?" She bends over the table as much as her waist will let her and places a coffee mug in front of Jarod. She sets a pot of coffee beside the mug as she pulls a tablet out of her overstretched apron.  
  
"Coffee. Black." Jarod's eyes fall to the menu as the woman starts to scribble on a pad. He looks back up to her with an inquisitive glance. "What makes Belgium Waffles different than other waffles? Are they from Belgium?"  
  
The look from the waitress would be enough to kill small dogs. "What? Of course not." She doesn't look at Jarod as she pours coffee in his mug.  
  
"Oh." Jarod looks back to the menu as he continues. "I'll have to eat both then. Give me two orders of each, I need to do some research."  
  
Her gaze doesn't change; it only becomes more puzzled. "Okay shugah. Four waffles coming up."  
  
"Two of those are Belgium waffles." Jarod folds the menu and hands it to her with a grin.  
  
"Yeah. I know." The waitress shuffles off with the coffee mug in her hands, muttering something about assholes.  
  
------  
  
Sydney's phone begins to ring as soon as he opens the doors to his office. On the fourth ring, the psychiatrist removes the receiver from the cradle and answers. "This is Sydney."  
  
"Syd, I have some good news and some bad news."  
  
"Did you find Jarod?" Sydney sits on the corner of his desk while holding the phone close.  
  
"Well. No." Broots' voice starts to fade as he turns to a camera monitor.  
  
Sydney rubs his temples as he responds. "Then what is it?"  
  
"You know those new cameras I installed around the Centre building?"  
  
A sigh escapes Sydney's throat. "What about them Broots?"  
  
Broots clears his throat as he tries to continue. "Well. There seems to be many, um, people with guns walking through the lobby." Squeaking wheels can be heard as a gasp escapes Broots. "I thought he was dead."  
  
"Who? Who do you see Broots?"  
  
Broots' eyes don't leave the monitor's screen as he tries to speak the person's name. "Ly, um, Lyle. And Cox." Broots rubs his eyes before continuing. "They're flanked by two other men, the rest of the group seems to be following them."  
  
Sydney walks over to his filing cabinet and pulls the top drawer open. "What do they look like Broots?" He fishes around the papers and locates a pine wood box.  
  
Sydney carefully sets the box on the desk as Broots replies. "One looks muscular and the other has glasses. Both of them are wearing three-piece black suits, white suits, and red ties. The rest of the group is dressed in a similar fashion." Broots swallows hard as he sees Lyle looks directly at the camera. "Jesus, you should see Lyle's face. Looks like somebody had fun with hot metal."  
  
Sydney opens the pine box and looks at his silver handgun. He swore he'd never use it after almost killing Dr. Werner Krieg six years ago. "The Triumvirate can be unforgiving." Sydney pulls the gun out of the box and holds it up to the light. "Broots. Call Miss Parker and tell her to get back here."  
  
"I would, Syd, but she's already here." Broots jumps backwards as she guns three of the men down, the small microphones on the cameras pick up the noise of the gunshots. "She just took three of the lackeys out. The four main guys are still standing."  
  
"Good. Call the Sweepers; tell them to meet in the lobby with whatever guns they can find." Sydney loads the clip into the gun.  
  
"What are you doing Syd? Did I just hear a click?" The technician's voice wavers as he speaks; his eyes refuse to leave the screen before him.  
  
"If they want a war, I'll give them one. Just do what I ask." Sydney turns the phone off as he walks towards a closet and opens it to reveal a bulletproof vest; after removing it from its hanger, Sydney pulls it over his body. He slides the top of the gun backwards to chamber a bullet before opening the door to his office. 'I knew this day would come sooner or later. I just wish it would wait until I'm dead.'  
  
------  
  
The woman at the diner places a slip of paper in front Jarod as he leans backward sipping at his coffee. "You discover anything shugah?"  
  
"Yes." A grin appears on Jarod's face as he sets the coffee down. "There is absolutely no difference between a Belgium waffle and a regular waffle."  
  
"Could've fooled me." The woman sighs as she scoops up the plates and returns to the kitchen area.  
  
Jarod grabs the slip of paper after taking a final gulp of his coffee and heads to the register. He pays for the meal and leaves a sizable tip, $20.00, and heads to his car. Once the engine starts, he makes the familiar trip to Blue Cove, Delaware; a trip he hopes will end the conflict inside of him.  
  
------  
  
Sydney paces in the Centre's lobby but quickly turns when he hears an elevator open. For one of the first times in his life, he's happy to see the swarm of sweepers as they head towards him. Most of them have the sweeper issue Smith and Wesson but a few have upgraded to automatic shotguns or submachine guns. Either way, they are ready to deal out punishment to anybody in their way. 'Thank god Jarod isn't here. I don't need him in this crossfire.'  
  
Sam leads the sweepers as they come to Sydney. "Okay Sydney, where are the intruders?"  
  
"The last Broots told me, they were in the parking lot with Miss Parker." Sydney crosses his arms in front of his chest as he speaks.  
  
Sam looks back at the group of sweepers and begins to bark orders. "Teams 2 and 3, head to the elevators and serve distraction. Team 1, we're the full force. We take the stairs." He looks back at Sydney and notices the silver gun. "You know how to handle that?"  
  
A smirk crosses Syd's face as he lifts his head. "Nearly ended Raines' tyranny seven years ago. Not too good with extended accuracy, but I can shoot."  
  
"Good." Sam looks at his group of men. "Lets go."  
  
------  
  
After taking four people out, Marie Parker has been stuck behind the same damn car for half an hour. She'll be sent to hell in a hand basket if the patience she learn from hunting Jarod screws her up now. Every time the guns stop she peers through the passenger window to see if anybody is still there, every time they wait for her.  
  
She hears a ding, followed by more gunshots. Carefully peering through the window she sees a group of sweepers pouring out of the two elevators, followed by more people dropping. The odds seem against the sweepers until she sees the stairwell door kicked open followed by more sweepers. Marie stands and begins shooting again, managing to take out two more intruders until Mr. Cox turns to her.  
  
Time seems to slow to a halt as he winks at her. Next thing she sees is his gun fall to Sam's back. Parker watches in horror as Cox squeezes the trigger. Sam pitches forward at the waist and his head falls backwards, his face twisted in pain. Blinded by rage she unloads the final three shots in her gun on Cox. Two rip into his chest and the third strikes the wall by his head. He slumps against the wall, leaving a bloody streak as his back slides down the wall.  
  
Lyle turns to her with a shocked expression. "What the hell?" Lyle's mouth creates the words, all sound lost due to the firefight.  
  
Marie doesn't respond as she drops behind the car and drops the empty clip. She reaches into her coat and pulls out a second clip and slides it into the gun. As this is happening, a person crouches next to her. In one fluid motion she chambers a round and brings the gun to the other person's face. Miss Parker quickly drops the gun when she notices it's Sydney and a grin crosses her face.  
  
It quickly disappears when she notices his blood stained shirt. "Jesus Sydney."  
  
The psychiatrist waves the statement away as he settles against the car. "It's nothing." He looks to the ground before continuing. "Sam's dead."  
  
A sigh leaves her as she continues. "I watched. It feels better to know that Cox is dead too."  
  
Sydney looks back to her with a grim expression. "Listen Parker. I need you and Broots to get out of here." Sydney glances around the front of the car to the gunfight. "I don't know how much longer we can hold them off. They seem to be getting more determined with each one we kill."  
  
"I'm not leaving you here Syd." Marie begins to stand back up when Sydney grabs her arm.  
  
He pulls her back down and stares at her face. "You need to. If you die here, how will Jarod find out the truth?"  
  
"But." She tries to counter his words but she can't. 'He's right but wrong at the same time.'  
  
"No buts. You must leave. The sweepers will offer as much cover as possible." Sydney quickly glances over the hood and looks back at her. "Go. Now."  
  
Marie quickly runs from behind the car as Sydney stands and begins firing. She makes it to the stairs and looks back to him in time to see Sydney get shot in right shoulder. "SYDNEY!"  
  
Miss Parker starts to run back to him but stops when he looks at her. "Go." Sydney rolls onto his back as he applies as much pressure as possible to the shoulder.  
  
With a tear forming in her eye, she turns and runs up the steps. She makes it to the top and begins to bang on the tech room door.  
  
"Who. Who is it?" Broots' voice is really timid.  
  
"It's me you moron."  
  
The door swings open as Broots jumps out of the room. He quickly grabs her in a hug and squeezes tightly. "You're alive!" Marie's face is twisted in pain as she drives a heel into his foot, causing the tech to quickly let go. "What was that for?"  
  
Marie bends at the waste as she gasps for air. "Air."  
  
"Sorry. It's just, just, um." Broots looks at the ground as he begins to fiddle with his hands.  
  
"We need to go." She grabs the technician by the wrist and pulls him along.  
  
"Did you see Sydney?"  
  
Marie sighs as she stops; her gaze falls to the tiles on the floor. "Yes." Footsteps can be heard on the stairs causing her to focus again. "We need to go. Now."  
  
The two turn a corner but stop as Miss Parker sees a gun pointed at them. "Hi sis." Lyle steps forward and turns to Broots with a smile. "You miss me?"  
  
"You really had me fooled little brother." Marie looks him in the eyes. "I actually thought you flipped."  
  
"Emotions can be so misleading." Lyle grins a Cheshire cat grin. "But I was a good actor wasn't I?"  
  
"No." Marie quickly knocks the gun from his hand before landing a fist to his face, knocking him into the wall. She goes to run past him but Lyle manages to trip her up. She lands on her side as he reaches into his suit coat to grab another gun. Miss Parker manages to roll over only to see Lyle pointing a second gun at her.  
  
He wipes the blood from his mouth as he looks at her. "Always predictable. You never learn do you?" He chambers a bullet while staring at her. "On your feet." Marie quietly obliges as Lyle turns her around. He pulls out a set of handcuffs and binds her wrist tightly.  
  
After wincing at the pain, she smiles slyly. "A little rough today little brother?"  
  
Lyle chuckles slightly as he grabs her wrists and bends them at an angle. He whispers in her ear while leaning close. "I know you like it like that." Lyle presses the gun into her back and leads her to the elevators as one of Viktor's lackeys grabs Broots. "Let's go."  
  
------  
  
Jarod goes to pull his car into the parking lot but stops when he sees the bodies. He turns the car off and quickly exits as he sees Sydney. "SYDNEY!"  
  
The psychiatrist turns to him and smiles. "Jarod. I'm glad to see you again."  
  
"My god, you've been shot." Jarod kneels next to him and looks at his shoulder. "What happened here?"  
  
Sydney coughs as he tries to sit up. "We were attacked by Lyle and some others."  
  
"Are you okay?" Jarod moves the psychiatrist's hand and looks at the wound. "It's a graze. The bullet took off to layers of skin, but you'll be fine."  
  
"Good to hear." Sydney looks Jarod in the eyes. "I don't know if it will mean anything coming from me, but Parker didn't kill your mom."  
  
Jarod shakes his head. "You're wrong Sydney. I saw it happen before my eyes."  
  
Sydney grimaces in pain as he straightens his arm. "What you saw was an imposter." The color flushes from Jarod's face as Sydney continues. "Her name was Madeline."  
  
"What? How?" Jarod's gaze falls to the floor as he collects his thoughts. He looks back to Sydney before continuing. "How do you know?"  
  
"I heard two men talking about it while I was lying here." The psychiatrist smiles at him. "Playing dead."  
  
Jarod stands and looks around, his face twisted in anger. "Where did they go?"  
  
Sydney motions to the stairs. "Up the stars. They went after Parker."  
  
Jarod inhales deeply as he balls his fists. He starts to walk to the stairs, but Sydney grabs his leg.  
  
"Jarod, you'll need this." Sydney hands Jarod his gun and smiles.  
  
"Thank you Sydney. I'll be back for you." Jarod turns to the stairs and pulls the metal door open. The door slams against the wall with a thud as Jarod pulls the clip out of the gun. 'Ten shots and one chambered.' Jarod slams the clip back in the gun as the door closes behind him. 'It's time to end this. Once and for all.'  
  
------  
  
TBC. Usual drill. Read and Rate. 


	5. Legion

Sphere of Influence: Legion ---- by JayVitolo  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights. This is just for entertainment. (I wish I did.)  
  
Author Notes: Thank you for the reviews so far. I apologize for not updating this story with the frequency of my others, and I appreciate everybody that has stayed with me. This story has taken on a mind of it's own and may, against my own desires, go for a while. This means I won't be able to "republish" and update Ouroboros Chronicles and Omega Web for a bit. Don't be surprised to see the title "Trinity Project" used as a chapter title.  
  
Anyway, onto the story!!  
  
Additional: Azrael is the Islam 'Angel of Death' if anybody was wondering. I have no idea when the next chapter will be written. The well has run dry, so-to-speak. Damn work.  
  
This story is dedicated to the memory of Patty Gibson, my cousin that died of a heart attack while I wrote this chapter. R.I.P. I hope, in death, you have found life.  
  
------  
  
The elevator doors open at SL-13 so the occupants can leave. The first two out are Wilhelm and Viktor, followed by Miss Parker and Lyle. Broots and Viktor's lackey are the final two. The group starts to walk down a hallway before Lyle breaks the silence.  
  
"I know a room where we can store these two for a bit." The sudden outburst causes the group to stop as Lyle speaks. "It's a room we've used to hold people before."  
  
Viktor looks over his shoulder at Lyle as he responds. "What of this room?"  
  
Marie's head hides Lyle's grin, but he speaks anyway. "It's the T-Board room. Fourth door on your left." Viktor turns back to the hallway and the group continues walking.  
  
Viktor stops when he reaches a room with shatterproof glass. He looks through the window to see a white table in the shape of a "T". A smile passes over his face as he turns back to Lyle. "I like this place."  
  
Lyle returns the smile. "It gets better. There's an actual holding cell in there. We can use the board for interrogations; find out the best way to get Jarod."  
  
"Good idea Mr. Lyle." Viktor turns to Wilhelm before pulling a watch out of his pocket. "Put them in the cell." He looks at the watch before placing it back in his pocket. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have important business to attend with."  
  
Wilhelm opens the door as Viktor walks away talking into a cell phone. Broots is the first person pushed taken into the room, his face is etched with panic. Lyle then forces Marie into the T-Board room and waits for the cell doors to be opened. Wilhelm walks over and depresses a red button to release the magnetic locks; the doors swing open in response. Broots is pushed in followed by Miss Parker.  
  
As the doors closes, Marie rushes to it and reaches through the bars to grab Lyle's necktie. "This isn't finished between us."  
  
Lyle pulls his tie from her hands and straightens it as he responds. "Contrary to how things work in your world, sis, it ends here." He smiles before finishing. "But if you want to finish something, try your sad excuse for a life."  
  
Marie returns the smile as she responds, her voice drips with venom. "Rest assured, little brother, a life will end by the time we're done. Count on it."  
  
Lyle stares at her while he walks backwards to the door. He turns to Wilhelm and the other man before leaving. Viktor's follower and Wilhelm follow Lyle but Wilhelm sticks his head through the crack between the door and the entrance. He looks at Marie and Broots with a smile. "Rest well."  
  
------  
  
Angelo pulls his face away from the air vent as a smile crosses his face. "Brother, bad." He looks back to the people occupying the room in front of his and listens carefully. He leans closer when he recognizes Lyle talking to another man.  
  
"So, what are you plans Viktor?" Lyle stands before the other man with his hands held behind his back.  
  
"Cleanse them." Viktor's face shows no emotion as he stares at the vent. "You ever have the feeling of being watched?"  
  
"All the time. But, this IS the Centre and there are, as Jarod has said, 'eyes' everywhere." Lyle points to a camera beside them as a grin crosses his face.  
  
"Not the cameras. I'm used to them." Viktor walks closer to the vent and passes his hand over it. "Air is still leaving the vent, but in sporadic patterns." Angelo slowly backs away as he sees Viktor approaching. Once Viktor grabs the vent, Angelo slides backwards down a passage to avoid being seen.  
  
As Viktor pulls the grating off the wall, he peers inside. "Hmm. Nothing."  
  
Lyle steps behind him. "I told you, it's the cameras."  
  
Viktor slowly pulls his head out of the vent shaft and begins to walk away from Lyle. "Yes. The cameras. Silence Marie Parker and the jumpy one." Viktor stops and glances over his shoulder. "After you extract any information you desire."  
  
------  
  
"Now. What would be the best plan of attack?" The pretender wonders to himself as he stands in the stairwell. He is aware that being stationary for too long is dangerous, especially in a place like the Centre where the cameras are everywhere, but Jarod needs to collect his thoughts.  
  
After looking around, absorbing his surroundings, Jarod finally tries to recall anything he did as part of the ATF. Then it hits. "Stealth, it's the only way. If the cameras can't see me, then I'm virtually invisible." Jarod turns to an air vent after clicking the gun's safety off. "I just have to worry about the people involved."  
  
The pretender grabs the vent cover after putting the gun in a pocket and begins to pull. To his surprise, the grate becomes dislodged quicker than expected; the excess strength he used causes him to fall backwards. One he regains his footing; Jarod stands and sees an old friend.  
  
The figure bends over and helps him stand. "Jarod. Trouble." Angelo looks over his shoulder while helping Jarod stand. "Angelo helps."  
  
The look of surprise doesn't leave Jarod's face as he stands. He quickly grabs Angelo in an embrace before speaking. "Angelo! I thought you left this place. I mean." Jarod lets go and grabs Angelo by the arms. "When I didn't hear anything from you anymore, I thought you left."  
  
Angelo smiles before he grabs Jarod in an embrace, his sponge-like mind absorbs all of the emotions Jarod is currently feeling. Angelo pulls away as he looks into Jarod's eyes. "Jarod puzzled." A sheepish grin appears on the empath's face. "Angelo knows cure." He reaches into a pocket and produces a box of Cracker Jack before thrusting it at Jarod.  
  
Out of curiosity, Jarod opens the box and notices a piece of paper sticking out. He carefully removes the paper and notices it is a birth certificate. The pretender carefully opens it and silently reads the name. His eyes return to the empathy. "Angelo. This, this is my birth certificate." Jarod looks back to the paper. "My name is Jarod Rovik." A tear starts to form in Jarod's eye as he continues to look at the paper. "Where did you get this Angelo?"  
  
Angelo grabs Jarod's wrist and starts to pull him towards the vent. "Angelo's home." Angelo crawls into the vent and turns back to Jarod. "Jarod follows. Angelo must show more." The empathy smiles as the pretender begins to follow. Angelo pulls the grate back into place as he continues to speak. "Angelo knows where Jarod must go."  
  
------  
  
The cell's door creeps open to slowly reveal Mr. Lyle's grinning face and Wilhelm's rigid body. The sudden sight of these two causes Broots to overt his attention to the floor while Miss Parker gives them an 'Ice Queen' glare.  
  
"Greetings my compatriots. I trust you had a truly wonderful night." Lyle turns his attention to Broots and sees the discomfort on the technician's face. The grin on Lyle's face broadens as he walks towards Broots. "You have something you want to say, tech-head?" Lyle places his gloved hand under Broots' chin and raises his face. "Perhaps something of importance?"  
  
Broots' face is contorted into a look of discomfort as he tries not to look at Lyle. "A, a, ab, bout what?"  
  
Lyle smiles as he sits on the ground next to the tech as he leans in close. Lyle's gloved hand leaves Broots' chin but wraps around his neck. "About Jarod. About life. About the Centre. About how my dry-cleaning bills keep getting more expensive." He turns his face to look at Broots directly. "But mostly about Little Debbie."  
  
Broots' eyes light up as he turns to Lyle, staring into his eyes. "You so much as touch her."  
  
"Save it Broots, I've heard it before." A sigh escapes Lyle as he stands. "You're like a Chihuahua with a broken leg, all bark but no sense of violence." He turns back to Broots with a smile. "It's not my idea to bring her into this. Viktor thinks she's a good pawn for our game." The smile grows bigger as he speaks. "Personally, I think she's just a means to an end."  
  
Broots' eyes fall back to the floor causing Lyle to let out a laugh. "You answer our questions, Little Debbie isn't hurt. If you refuse, however, her means come to an end. Got it?"  
  
A heavy sigh escapes the tech as he prepares to respond. "What do you want to know?"  
  
"Simple. Why have you stopped looking for Jarod?" Lyle crosses his arms as he speaks.  
  
Broots' eyes remain fixed on the floor as he responds. "He vanished. We tried for a couple of months after the Triumvirate struck, but we found no trace."  
  
"So you just gave up." Wilhelm's deep voice echoes in the small room, catching Broots and Miss Parker off guard. "Why?"  
  
Broots' eyes leave the floor as he looks at Wilhelm. "I've told you. He vanished." The tech's voice begins to shake as he continues. "You ever try looking for something that doesn't want to be found?"  
  
Wilhelm steps forward and grabs the tech's throat, lifting him to his feet with little effort. He pulls Broots to his feet before pushing him against the back wall of the cell. "If you would have tried, he wouldn't have vanished." Wilhelm's voice betrays the anger he tried to hide. "Now, what happened to his trail?"  
  
Broots tries to sound calm but fails; his voice is etched with fear as he responds. "It s, st, stopped."  
  
Lyle steps forward and places a hand on Wilhelm's arm, causing the bigger man to loosen the grip on Broots. Once the grip is done, Broots slumps to the floor rubbing his neck. Lyle kneels before the tech and places his gloved hand on Broots' bald spot. "Why did it stop?"  
  
Marie finally steps forward. "Because I ordered the hunt to end." She kicks Lyle's arm so his hand is removed from Broots' head before she continues. "This is between you and me, Lyle. Leave Broots and Debbie out of it."  
  
A smile tugs at the corner of Lyle's face as he stands before his sister. "I should have known it was because of you. I always knew letting you go to Carthis, alone, to chase Jarod was a mistake." He steps forward and runs his gloved hand through her hair. "You've gone soft on me Parker."  
  
She bats his hand away as she grits her teeth. "You've made many mistakes little brother." She grabs his tie and wraps it around her wrist. "Are you ready to pay for them all?"  
  
The smile on Lyle's face broadens as he glances over his shoulder at Wilhelm. "Go tell Viktor that Mr. Broots was uncooperative." His gaze returns to Broots and then to his sister as Wilhelm turns and leaves. "I'm sure Viktor will find a good use for her."  
  
"You harm one hair on that girl's head, Lyle, and you will live to regret it." Marie pulls her brother closer so he can understand her.  
  
Lyle pulls away but the grin remains. "I'm already dead remember?" He begins to straighten his tie before he speaks again. "Besides, the Coalition has influence in places you could only dream of."  
  
Parker crosses her arms as she glares at him. "So you have new bed fellows now Lyle? Wasn't the Triumvirate good enough to you?"  
  
"Quite the contrary. I have leadership in the Triumvirate now and simply decided to diversify." Lyle backs towards the door as a sinister grin appears on his face. "The power has been magnified ten-fold. The Triumvirate now has a strong footing in seven countries, including the United States." Once Lyle reaches the door, he slowly pulls it open. "The Coalition has its fingers in every legislative body the world over." The door begins to shut as Lyle finishes. "I simply thought a name change was in order. You know, to keep up with current events."  
  
The door slams shut as Broots looks up to Marie. "Do you think he's telling the truth?"  
  
A sigh leaves Marie as she continues to stare at the door in front of her. "Lyle doesn't lie about power." She turns back to the bench she was sitting on and quietly sits again.  
  
"In that case, we're in a lot of trouble." Broots' eyes find their way to the door as he sighs deeply.  
  
"That we are Broots." Marie leans against the wall behind her as she slowly closes her eyes. "That we are."  
  
------  
  
Angelo and Jarod continue to climb through the Centre's ventilation system, the empath leads the way. He suddenly stops and turns to Jarod with a smile on his face. "Angelo's home." Angelo spins on his feet with his arms outstretched, much in the same way Jarod reacted to his discovery of snow.  
  
A smile crosses Jarod's face as he looks around the small room. Empty boxes of Cracker Jack are scattered among different colored files and folders. Pictures and drawings hang on the walls, including the one Jarod drew about the eyes watching him. Jarod turns back to his friend. "It's really nice Angelo."  
  
A grin flashes over Angelo's face as he looks to the floor. Almost as quickly as the grin appeared, Angelo's face becomes serious. The grin has disappeared as he begins to mumble. "Jarod need help." The empath starts to move empty boxes and containers until a shoebox is uncovered. A slight grin tugs at Angelo's cheeks as he rips the top of the box off to reveal a collection of DSAs. He digs through the silver disks until he reaches a desired one and hands it to Jarod. "Jarod. Watch."  
  
The DSA is placed in the pretender's palm as he stares at Angelo. "Angelo, what's so important about this disk?" Angelo continues to stare at Jarod as the pretender looks at the time stamp on the disk's surface. "Jarod. 9/18/1966." Jarod's gaze returns to Angelo as his hand closes around the silver disk. "Impossible. I have all of my DSAs. Angelo, where did?"  
  
The pretender is cutoff as Angelo pushes a player towards him. "Jarod must watch."  
  
Silently, the pretender obliges and inserts the DSA into the player's slot. The keyboard lights up as the machine hums. An image slowly appears as the clicking of heels can be heard. The picture focuses to reveal an office room as aggressive knocking can be heard on the room's wooden doors.  
  
"Come in." A stern, male voice can be heard a few seconds before the doors part to reveal a fragile woman. Jarod instantly recognizes her as his mother causing him to strike the pause button.  
  
He quickly turns to Angelo with a puzzled expression. "Angelo? What is this?"  
  
"Jarod. Watch." Angelo reaches forward and pushes the play button without another word.  
  
The video picks up where it left off as Margaret begins to speak. "Mr. Director, I want to see my Jarod now."  
  
The man stands from behind the desk; his back is facing the camera effectively blocking any chance of identification. His voice remains stern as he responds. "I've already told you Mrs. Rovik, Jarod may not be disturbed while he studies. It only ruins his concentration."  
  
Margaret leans forward as she places her palms on the wooden desk. "You also told me that this was a school for the gifted. A place where they could study freely without interference from people that aren't on their level." Her voice betrays her anger. "And you said I could visit my son at any time. You also told me that I could withdraw my son if I feel your school is no longer benefiting him."  
  
"Yes I did." The man crosses his arms behind his back as he speaks. "I can only assume you feel this to be true?"  
  
Margaret sighs as she continues. "Yes I do." She stands straight again. "I would like to have Jarod withdrawn so he may be placed in public schooling." She looks around the office room and notes the dark atmosphere. "I feel he needs to be with children of his own age, he needs to make friends."  
  
"I see." The man leans forward and opens a desk drawer and begins to root through the files until he reaches Jarod's. Once he has the file, it is placed on the desk as papers begin to get shuffled. He slowly looks back to Margaret as he clears his throat. "It appears that you are late on the last two tuition payments." He looks back to the folder before continuing. "These payments must be rectified before Jarod may be withdrawn."  
  
A looks of surprise crosses Margaret's face. "What? That can't be, I delivered the payments personally." She reaches for the folder as she continues. "Let me see that."  
  
The man quickly closes the folder and pulls it towards him. "I am sorry ma'am, these documents are confidential." He stands after places the folder back in the desk drawer. "I will, however, have a copy of Jarod's tuition costs delivered to you." He leans closer to Margaret before continuing. "Remember, this outstanding balance must be rectified before Jarod may be withdrawn."  
  
The man walks around the desk and grabs the door handle before motioning for Margaret to leave. She reluctantly obliges as the doors are parted. Once she is past the doors, the man slowly shuts them and turns to walk back to his desk. It is at this point, the man's face is revealed.  
  
Only one word leaves Jarod's throat. "Raines."  
  
------  
  
Lyle is sitting in his office when a knock is heard on his door. With a sigh, he slowly stands before speaking. "Come in."  
  
Wilhelm slowly parts the metal doors as he enters the dim room. He looks at the pictures on the walls before slowly gazing at Lyle. "Viktor would like a word."  
  
"Tell him I'll be there after I finish some business." Lyle begins to sit in his chair and pulls the phone off its hook.  
  
Wilhelm strides forward and grabs Lyle's tie. "I don't think you understand Mr. Lyle." Wilhelm begins to pull the smaller man up from his seat. "When Viktor requests an audience, you grant it."  
  
A smug expression passes over Lyle's face as he grabs his tie from the other man. "You don't seem to understand the severity of the situation." Lyle slides a paper towards Wilhelm. "The Triumvirate is growing agitated. We have yet to find Jarod and they want answers."  
  
Viktor steps through the doorway as he speaks. "Perfectly understandable Mr. Lyle." Viktor stands beside Wilhelm and crosses his arms. "I've already been made aware of the Triumvirate's displeasure." Viktor slowly glances at the watch on his left hand before looking back at Lyle. "In fact, their new liaison should be arriving in any moment."  
  
"New liaison?" A look of confusion crosses Lyle's face as he continues. "Then what about me?"  
  
Viktor draws a gun from his coat and points it at Lyle. "I'm afraid it's time to sort out the weeds so the lotus may grow." Lyle steps backwards against the wall as Viktor pulls the hammer back on his gun. A brief smile crosses Viktor as he turns to Wilhelm and unleashes a bullet. "I'm sorry brother, but you've lost the faith."  
  
Wilhelm looks at the bloodstain on his shirt and back at Viktor. He slumps forward to grab Viktor's pant leg while trying to speak. "Viktor." His voice is labored with gasps of air. "Why?"  
  
Viktor raises the gun again before speaking. "You have lost the way. You betrayed me." He pulls the trigger again as he finishes. "And now it ends."  
  
Wilhelm falls to his left side as blood flows from his neck. Lyle looks at the now lifeless body and back at Viktor. "What did he do?"  
  
Viktor kneels before his fallen comrade and begins to mumble a prayer. Once done, he looks back at Lyle. "He denied me information about the Triumvirate's plans. I never sent for you." Viktor looks back at the body of his former compatriot. "He planned to kill you and then me. As per Triumvirate orders."  
  
------  
  
Marie Parker and Broots are sitting in the small cell as noises can be heard in the airshaft beside them. Without a second thought, Marie knows who it is. She quickly slides over towards the vent and begins to pry it off. As she expected, Angelo is on the other side staring at her with his defenseless eyes. She quickly grabs him in a hug. "Cousin It!"  
  
The human sponge sheepishly smiles at her as he returns the hug. Once he is done, his eyes lock onto Miss Parker's. "Angelo has a present." He steps aside to reveal Jarod lurking in the shadows of the vent.  
  
Parker's eyes light up as she quickly lets go of Angelo and grabs Jarod's left arm. "Jarod! I'm so glad to see you again."  
  
The pretender steps out of the vent as Marie backs up, still holding his arm. "Something told me to believe you. So I came back to the one place I thought you would be." Jarod's eyes fall to the floor as he continues. "That's when I saw . . ." He looks back to Miss Parker. "What happened down there?"  
  
Marie lets go of Jarod's arm as she speaks. "I was called by Lyle. He told me that a group of people would be coming after the Centre." She trails off as her eyes fall to the floor. She quickly jerks her head back up to stare at Jarod. "Jarod! What about Sydney?"  
  
Jarod raises his hand to silence her and hopefully dull the emotion. "He's fine. The bullet grazed his skin. Last I heard he made it to the Infirmary." A smile crosses his lips as a new thought enters his mind. "I found out my last name."  
  
For a moment, Marie's mind stops while it tries to tie the two subjects together. Actually, it grinds to a halt and abruptly ends all thought patterns. She quickly snaps out of the daze and smiles faintly. "What?" That's all she can get out, her brain is busy trying to reboot.  
  
"I discovered my last name." The pretender repeats the sentence with as much emotion as the first time.  
  
Marie's face brightens as the words finally sink in. "Really? That's great Jarod. What is it?"  
  
Jarod breathes deeply before he responds. "Rovik." The smile on his face broadens as he continues. "My name I Jarod Rovik."  
  
Broots' eyes dart from each of the two like he was watching a tennis match. With a sigh, he finally musters the courage to speak. "This is all well and good, but don' you think we should be leaving?"  
  
Surprised, Jarod looks at the technician as the grin vanishes. "Yes." He turns back to Marie and then looks at Angelo. "We should."  
  
Marie is the first to climb in the vent shaft; Broots gets ready to follow her through. Once Broots is in, Jarod and Angelo hear foots steps coming down the hallway. Panicked, Jarod turns to Angelo. "Hurry Angelo. We have to go."  
  
Angelo turns to Jarod with a sad expression. "No." The empath shakes his head to emphasis this. "Angelo must stay." He pushes Jarod towards the vent.  
  
The pretender looks at his friend as a slew of emotions pour over him, the most prevalent is a mix of sadness and guilt. "What?" Jarod can't believe this.  
  
"Jarod goes. Angelo stays."  
  
Jarod is about to dispute this 'fact' but Marie's voice grabs his attention. "Move it Lab Rat."  
  
A tear forms in Angelo's eye as Jarod quickly hugs him. "Thank you Angelo." He quickly whispers in the empath's ear. "For the last name." Once Jarod pulls away, Angelo smiles a sheepish grin, as the footsteps get louder. Jarod crawls into the vent and begins to pull the grate over him. "I will come back for you."  
  
And then, Angelo is alone.  
  
The empath sighs deeply as he faces the now turning doorknob. "Thank you Angelo." He quietly speaks to himself, reaffirming he is alone.  
  
When the door opens, nobody expects what is seen.  
  
------  
  
Viktor is sitting in an overstuffed chair with his feet on the desk when the phone rings. With a sigh of aggravation, he leans forward to answer it by pressing the speakerphone button. "Speak."  
  
"Sir, it's Samson." A lackey responds to Viktor's demand, he seems to be out of breath.  
  
Viktor rubs his temples before responding. "Business?" He can't help but wonder how he got half these idiots.  
  
"Um." Samson trails off as he hopes the news won't be taken poorly. "The people in the T-Board holding cell have escaped."  
  
"What!" Viktor's voice echoes off the room's walls giving him a more evil sound. He quickly grabs the phone receiver from the holder. "Repeat your last sentence."  
  
'Damn. Now I'm dead.' Samson rubs his forehead as he responds. "The, um, captives have escaped."  
  
Viktor is about to respond when a beep rings in his ear. "You don't move. I have a call on the other line. If I return to this line and hear dead air, you are dead. Got it?" He doesn't wait for a response before switching calls. "Speak."  
  
"This is helicopter 609 Bravo requesting landing permission."  
  
Viktor rubs his forehead as he responds. "Since when do you need permission?"  
  
The helicopter pilot responds with as much sarcasm as possible. "Since I come from the Triumvirate."  
  
"Land then." Viktor's voice is worried as he switches to the first call; he looks up to his office door as he speaks. "Forget about Parker and Broots. Find Lyle and send him to me." The phone is placed back in the holder as Viktor slumps into his seat, his eyes not leaving the door.  
  
"Azrael has arrived."  
  
------  
  
TBC . . . Please Read and Rate . . . 


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